


School’s Out…Forever

by Tuzilla



Category: Halloween Movies - All Media Types, Twilight Zone
Genre: Gen, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 09:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13478370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuzilla/pseuds/Tuzilla
Summary: This is a Halloween story using several real settings and a couple old legends. It reads similar in concept to what you might expect from a Twilight Zone episode.





	School’s Out…Forever

It was 6:15 am on Halloween morning when the two Trailways buses pulled out of the parking lot at Williamston High School. Under the buses were costumes and all types of party paraphernalia. The mood was predictably sedated as the students were trying to adjust their seats so they could go back to sleep for a while longer. It would be a couple more hours before they started getting wired over the festivities promised for the evening.

Collectively, there were ninety-nine students, the entire 1969 senior class, and ten chaperones occupying the one-hundred-twelve available seats. They were on the way to Mackinac Island for a Halloween Ball paid for by an anonymous donor who apparently had enough connections and pull to convince the Musser family to hold the Grand Hotel open for the event, even though it would be officially closed for the season a few days earlier.

This was a needed trip for the class, although none outside of it was aware of that fact. It was one year ago when they held a junior class bonfire at the gravel pit on the edge of town. Late into the evening an intruder in a well-worn, denim jacket crashed their party and started acting in ways not acceptable to them. After some particularly rude behavior toward Kathy and some of her girlfriends, it was becoming time for him to go.

Steve, a football player and wrestler, had enough of his behavior and got into a fight with him. They battled until Steve landed a mighty blow knocking him into the cold water of the gravel pit. Everyone was pleased to see him disappear into the waters, expecting he would reemerge in a moment, beaten and contrite, ready to leave them to their party.

But he did not reemerge. Becky said, “Someone needs to get him before he drowns.” The guys looked at each other. Finally, Steve waded out and started to feel around for him. After a minute, he pulled the guy out of the water and laid him on his back in the gravelly dirt.

“Is he breathing?” asked Toni. “I don’t think he is breathing.”

Ed, the son of the town’s doctor, and Toni started to check him over. He was limp and lifeless. There was no sign of respiration. They tried mouth-to-mouth, but no one really knew how to do it. After a few minutes, they realized the unwanted intruder was dead. It was then they entered into a devil’s pact of silence. No one would ever breathe a word about what happened.

The body was loaded into the back of a Pontiac Tempest. Four boys, including Steve, drove well out into the wooded countryside, stopping at Ron’s home to get a couple shovels. They ended up at the swamp off Haslett Road.

The body was dragged deep into the mucky mire where they dug a shallow hole and covered it up with mud, decaying plant matter and some dead tree limbs. No one would ever find it out there, not even the coyotes.

The buses stopped at the rest area in Grayling, where a breakfast was waiting for them. Once having eaten and availed themselves of the restrooms, the group came to life, and the buses were alive with excited teenagers.

“I can’t believe we are going to Mackinac Island.” “Can you dig it, the Grand hotel?” Totally groovy.” This is so cool I am trippin’.”

The buses arrived at the ferry docks at 10:30 am. They unloaded from their buses and collected their costumes. A short time later they were feeling the bite of the cool fall weather as they were cruising into a stiff, late October breeze on the Mackinaw Star en route to the island.

A delegation from the hotel met them at the ferry dock. They were loaded, group by group into the island’s horse-drawn wagons and taken up the hill to the hotel entrance.

The Mussers greeted them upon arrival and led them into the hotel and to the ballroom. The decorating committee pulled in their supplies. The instructions were simple. They could decorate the room however they wanted as long as they left the tables against the far wall alone. They were for the food and drinks. Also, at the end of the party, they would have to pull down all of the decorations and put them in the provided trash containers, so the hotel staff would not be burdened with the cleanup.

A couple of nearby rooms were designated for costume changing and clothing storage. Everything was moving along smoothly.

While the committee prepared the room for an evening of great fun, the bulk of the class roamed around enjoying the grounds. Even though it was not nearly as spectacular as during the summer months, it was a gorgeous day and the view from high on the hill out over the straits was beautiful.

At 4:00 pm, a buffet was served to them out on the enormous porch…the longest porch in the world. The party would start at 7:00 pm. It would feature a murder mystery theme with prizes for those who solved the murder and certain aspects.

About 6:00 pm, the changing rooms were filled with the students. Costumes were donned, makeup applied, trickery prepared. When the doors opened, everyone poured in and the festivities began, complete with spooky music and weird lighting.

They were given a little while to get comfortable, enjoy some luscious Grand Hotel food and settle in. Then a staff person began distributing envelopes to the assembled crowd.

Each envelope included a name tag identifying who you were within the mystery. It also had some unique facts and information known only to you. The task was simple enough: Gather information from people, sort it out and determine who committed the murder of the movie star socialites Holly Wood and Hugh Starr.

The event kicked off with a staff member reading the introduction and setting things up. Suddenly, the lights died. When they came back on, Holly and Hugh were lying dead on the floor next to the food table. Hugh had a prop knife protruding from his chest.

This gave Holly and Hugh, played by Steve and his girlfriend, Sandy, the freedom to slip away, if they chose. They could still stay and search for their murderer, but no one was going to pester them with questions.

After about a half an hour, they decided to use their ability to disappear until the end of the mystery event at 11:30 pm. They slipped out the door and into the darkness of the night to walk about and enjoy a bit of teen romance.

As they walked, taking occasional breaks for a bit of making out, gravity, being what it is, compelled them to walk downhill. They eventually found themselves walking passed the island’s multitude of closed shops offering fudge, candles, clothes and other trinkets designed to wrest the dollars from the hands of visitors.

When they reached the waterfront, the water was still. The stars and moonlit it up like a shot from any of a hundred romantic scenes from classic Hollywood movies. It took no time at all to seduce them into a loving encounter.

Meanwhile, back up at the hotel, the party was in full fling. People were buzzing about the room searching for the definitive clue to cement their assumption as to the killer. With the prize for the first person to turn in the correct answer, with evidence to support it, being a new 8-track player, everyone was hot to win.

All of a sudden, the door to the room burst open. It was Sandy, completely out of breath, looking disheveled and frantic. “Help!” she screamed, tears starting to flow. “Help! Steve is dead!”

“We know he’s dead,” yelled Rick. “You’re both dead.”

“No! He’s really dead. Everyone help me,” she cried as she collapsed.

A stunned silence engulfed the room. Then there was a rush to her side. “Where is he?” What happened? “What can we do?”

“We were at the boat dock,” she sobbed as Annie and Jan helped her to her feet. “We were…well were…and then he attacked us.”

“Who!? Who attacked you?” asked John, the level of tension quickly escalating toward panic.

“I don’t know…but he killed Steve” she bawled.

“C’mon,” yelled Ken. “Let’s go.”

The room erupted, and the group poured out into the darkness. They ran down the hill toward the dock leaving the stunned chaperones looking at each other wondering what to do.

They made it out onto the dock beside the ferry that had brought them over a few hours earlier. It was dark, with just enough light from the distant security lights on the ferry office for them to make out something floating in the water.

“There,” said Sandy, starting to cry, again. “That’s Steve.”

As they looked, a person came out of the ferry office. It was Little Ed, the dockhand. He said he had been sleeping on a cot inside the ferry office, instead of monitoring the docks, like he was supposed to be doing. “What’s the matter?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Our friend,” said Ken. That’s our friend out there. I think he is dead.”

“Sweet Jeezus!” exclaimed Ed, running back and flipping on the general lighting. The additional light made it quite clear that it was a body floating in the water. “We have to get him in and call the island police.”

By now the commotion had roused the captain of the ferry, who was apparently sleeping in his quarters aboard the ship. He turned on the lights of the ferry as he walked out onto the dock. “What’s the ruckus out here?” asked Captain Schuenemann

“It’s an emergency, Herman. There is a dead body out there,” said Eddie, pointing out at Steve’s body.

“Holy wa!” said Herman. “Let me power up. I’ll radio officer Bosley. We need to go get it out of there.”

Eddie hustled everyone onto the ferry. “We need to stay together,” he said as he began casting off lines.

Captain Schuenemann began easing the ferry out toward the floating body. The chaperones finally started to walk onto the dock just in time to see some of the boys pull Steve’s limp, waterlogged body onto the ferry as it slipped away from the dock.

“What are they doing? Where are they going?” asked Mrs. Bird. The boat engine drowned out the serious talk onboard.

“I thought this was an emergency of some kind,” added Mr. Dorow.

“Probably just a Halloween prank,” said Mrs. Schoff. “Must be going on a moonlight cruise. Didn’t want us interfering. Someone is going to be in trouble when I find out who’s responsible.”

The ferry kept moving further and further away, “How long do you think they’ll be out there?” asked Mrs. Bird.

“Probably an hour,” replied Mr. Dorow.

The hour passed. Then two hours. Three hours. And the sun started to rise.

When the crew of the ferry arrived on the dock from their rooms at The Murray, they were all wondering why state trooper Bosley and the group of chaperones were standing there, and why they had not been called earlier to return the group to Mackinaw City. It was then they realized their ship was missing.

“Captain Jones,” inquired trooper Bosley, a definite curiosity in his voice. “What are you and your crew doing here?

“We’re wondering why we weren’t summoned earlier to take the students back to Mackinaw. I thought this was supposed to end by one or two o’clock. Where are the students? And where is my ship?

“These people said they saw the ferry pull out around ten with all of the students onboard. They thought you were taking them on a moonlight cruise. Where did you go?”

“We didn’t go anywhere. The crew and I have been at The Murray waiting for a call to come take them back. When the sun started coming up, I decided we needed to walk down here.  “SO!” said the captain, once again realizing his ship was missing. “Are you saying my ship was stolen?”

“Well, if you are stating you didn’t take it out last night, then yes, I guess I am saying that.”

Then you have a missing ship full of kids. My ship. What’s being done?

Officer Bosley explained the situation as he knew it. All of the students had gotten onto the ferry and it left for what appeared to be a moonlight cruise. The Coast Guard was called about three o’clock and is already searching for them with their cutter and helicopter. No sightings have yet been reported.

The search continued for several weeks. No positive sightings were ever reported. The ship was logged a month later as missing, presumably sunk. All aboard were technically still missing but were considered dead. This gave the media weeks of non-news to report as hope waned and efforts to find the missing ship and students officially ceased.

Many theories have been offered as to where the ferry disappeared that night. The logical one is that it lost power and floated off, yet to be found in Lake Huron. It is natural to assume that the flow of water from lakes Superior and Michigan would push it that way.

But limnologists offer a different option supported by lakeshore residents on the Lake Michigan side. Limnologists claim lakes Michigan and Huron are really one lake with a narrow spot in the middle. They note the lakes maintain essentially the same water levels and even more telling is the fact that varying weather conditions contributing to inflows of water to the lakes, and outflows, such as the Chicago diversion, cause the direction of flow to reverse on occasion with waters from Huron actually flowing into Lake Michigan.

People who log the coming and going of ships on the lake report that a well-lit ship smaller than a freighter, but larger than a pleasure craft passed their homes on a western course into the main body of the lake that night. Their theory is the ship lost power and found its way into the Michigan Triangle, a freshwater version of the Bermuda Triangle, and disappeared with countless other ships.

The only physical evidence of the disappearance ever found was a well-worn, denim jacket floating near the dock with the name on its tag reading Little Eddie Hoskins, a boy who had disappeared exactly one year earlier in Southern Michigan.

On January 3, 1969, in the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral the church bell chimed ‘til it rang ninety-nine times for each student on the Lake Michigan Star.


End file.
